Tobacco press



L. B. GRASBERGEB.

TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I5, 1920- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1,417,899, Patented May 30, 1922.

L. BQGRASBERGER. TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1920. 1,417,899. Patented May 30, 1922'.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. B. GRA SBERGER. TOBACCO PRESS. APPLICATION FILED IULY I5, 1920- Patented May 30, 1922 L. B. GRASBERGER.

TOBACCO PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I5, 1920.

1,417,899. Patented May30, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE B. GEASBERGEE, OF RIGHlVIOND, VIRGINIA.

TOBACCO PRESS.

' Application filed July 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE l3. (inasnnnonn, a citiz n of the United States, residing at the city of Richmond, in the State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses for forming tobacco and other similar material into lumps during the process of its manufacture; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of a tobacco press constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is rear end view of the same. Fig. 8 is a vertical section tl'irough' the press, taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4.- is a plan view of the press, taken in section through the slides on the line 44 in Fig. 2. ig. 5 is a detail front view of the guide for the tobacco as it enters the press chambers. 6 is a detail view of one of the press plungers. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the device for oiling and scraping the bottom of the press plunger.

In each of Figs. 1, 2, 3, i, and 5 various parts are omitted, for clearness; and Figs. 6 and 7 are drawn to a larger scale.

In the manufacture of tobacco, for cheiw ing and other purposes, the leaf tobacco is mixed with various substances which are moist and sticky, and the loose and stringy mass, which is very sticky, is pressed into lumps, which receive other press treatment subsequently, to (convert them into plugs or cakes as sold to the public. The object of the present invention is to provide a press for forming the lumps of tobacco, or other similar material which can be treated to advantage in a press of this sort.

A. supporting frame 10 is provided. and 12 is a driving shaft journaled in the frame and provided with adriving pulley 14. A cam shaft 15 is journaled in the frame, and

is driven by a toothed wheel. 16 secured on it.

The wheel 16 gears into a toothed pinion 17 secured on the driving shaft. A horizontal press table 18 is secured at the upper part of the frame, and 20 is the press platen secured on a vertical shaft 21 which is journaled in a bearing 19 formed on the table 18. The press platen 20 is provided with a series of press chambers 2 spaced at equal distances apart and open at top and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922. 1920. Serial No. 396,491. 1

bottom. Any desired number of these press chambers may be provided, and they may be of various size and shapeaccording to the material to be treated. The top of the table forms the bottom of the press chambers, and supports the material in them.

The table is provided at its rear side with a discharge opening 25 which registers with the press chambers, and permits the compressed lumps to be forced out of them- The press platen is revolved step by step from the driving shaft by any approved mechanism for that purpose.

In the example illustrated, a ratchet toothed wheel 26 is secured on the shaft 21, and is operated by means of a pawl 27 pivoted to a support 28 which is mounted loosely on the shaft 21 and supported by a collar 22. The support 28 is oscillated by means of a connect-ingrod 29 which is pivoted to it and to a lever 30 by ball pivots 31. The lever 30 is pivoted to the frame by a pin 32, and is moved in one direction by a cam 33 secured on the cam shaft 15, and bearing on a roller 34- carried by the lever. The lever 30 is moved in the reverse direct-ion by a spring 35. g

The press platen 20 works in a cylinder 36 secured to the table, and provided with a cover plate 37 which extends over the greater part of the press platen. A guide 38 for the loose material is secured to the cover plate at the front side of the machine opposite the discharge opening 25. The guide is rectangular in form, and it has three inclined sides, and is open at the fourth side. Two horizontal tracks 39 are provided at the lower part of the open side of the guide, and these tracks have a stop .40 at their inner ends. The opening at the bottom of the guide is formed to register with the press chambers 24.

The loose sticky mass of leaf tobacco mixed with flavoring and binding material.

is received from a weighing machine of any 1 approved .construction in a holderor scoop 41. The scoop is held by one hand, when in the position as indicated in dotted lines, and h a rod 41 at one end of 1t is run along the tracks until it strikes the stop. The scoop d6 secured to it.

platen is stationary, and when the scoop is held in the position shown in full lines.

A crosshead 42 is secured to vertical uprights 43 which slide in guides id secured to the sides of the frame. This crosshead is arranged above the press platen, and it has a press plunger 45 and a discharge plunger press plunger, but otherwise the two plungers are substantially alike. The crosshead is o aerated at suitable intervals b means of two cams secured on'the end portions of the cam shaft 15, outside the frame. Each of these cams engages with. two rollers 51 carried by the adjacent vertical. upright 43,

which is provided with a longitudinal slot.

50 to clear the cam shaft.

' In order to effect the exact alinement or register of the press chambers with the plungers, a lever 52 is pivoted by a pin 53 to a bracket 54: 011 one sideot the frame. This lever engages with angular notches 55 in t-he'periphery of the press platen, and is pressed forcibly into the said notches at suitable intervals by means of a cam plate 56 secured to one of the uprights, which cam plate engages with an antifriction roller 57 on the lever. When the lever is not engaged ly the cam plate, it is retracted by a spring 08. V

The open topsof the press chambers are exposed after they pass from under the fill ingguide, so that their contents may be seen, and, in order to prevent accidents to the operator, who may have his lingers in one of the open chamber tops, the cover plate 37 has a hinged flap 59 pivoted to that portion of it which projects over the platen between the'filling guide and the press plunger.

'If the operator is pressing the material down in an exposed press chamber, and his hand comes in contact with the hinged flap, the flap is raised by contact :with his hand, and he can withdraw his hand without injury. j

Any suitable covers of thin sheet metal can be secured over the exposed working parts of this machine to protect themand the operator from injury, but these. are not shown as they are nota necessary part of this invention. When the material has been compressed by the press plunger, and the lump of tobacco hasbeen forced out. by the discharged plunger, t e lump slides down an in clined chute 60 onto a conveyor 61, wiich The press plunger 45.

removes it from the machine. The conveyer preferably has an endless apron which is driven from the driving shaft 12.

As the tobacco is very sticky, the press and discharge plungers required to be oiled and scraped. Each plunger has recesses 62 in its sides, and 63 are passages for oil which communicate with the recesses 62. The oil is fed down the passages 63 from any suitable container 64: which is preferably an automatic sight-feed lubricator ofapproved construction.

Lubricating pads 65 are secured in the recesses 62 and they bear against the sides of the chambers. The pads are of any ap proved construction and material, and they are preferably faced with sheets of'leather 65 provided with small perforations 66 for the oil to pass through.

The bottom of the press plunger is scraped and oiled, each time it israised out of a press chamber, by means of the device shown in F '7. An arm 68 is pivoted to the cover plate 37 by a pin-69, and its free end portion slides on a stationary curved guide bar 70 secured to the cover plate. This arm has an oil pan 71, and a roller 72 is journaled in this pan, and projects partially from its top, and bears against the bottom of the press plunger. The oil pan and its roller have springs 73 for pressing them upwardly against stops 74. carried by the arm, and the arm has a guide 75 for the oil pan to slide in. A scraping knifedolade 75 is secured to oneside of the guide 75', and scrapes the bottom ofthe press plunger, and removes pieces of tobacco which may have stuck to it, before the oil is applied.

The arm 68 is oscillated by means of a cam 76 secured on the cam shaft 15, by any suit able intermediate driving mechanism. In the example shown, the cam 76 bears on a roller 77 carried by a lever 78 pivotedto the frame by a pin 79. The cam moves the lever 73 in one direction, and a spring 80 is provided for moving it in the reverse direction. The lever, 73 is connected by a pivoted connecting-rod 81 with the short arm of a bell-crank lever 82 which is pivoted to the frame by a pin 83. The long arm of the bell-crank lever extends vertically, and is operatively connected with the arm 68 by a pivoted connecting-rod 8 1.

The bottom of the discharge plunger d6 is scraped and oiled each time it projects at the bottom of one of the press chambers. A

scraper 85 and an oiling roller 86 are provided, and are similar to the scraper 75 and oiling roller 72. The oil pan 8? of the roller 86 is supported on springs in a frame 88 which slides horizontally in guides 89 secured to the underside of the table 18.

The frame 88 is slid in one direction by means of the long arm of a bell-crank lever 90 to which it is connected by a pivoted c0n-,

meeting-rod 91. The bell-c 'ank lever 90 is pivoted to the frame by a pin 92, and its short arm carries a roller 93 which bears on the other side of the cam 76 from the aforesaid roller 77. A spring 94 is provided for moving the frame 88 in the reverse direction. The two oiling devices with their scrapers are arranged to operate alternately, and at suitable intervals.

The material which is fed into the press chamber at the front part of the machine, is compressed into lumps by the press plunger, and is discharged at the next down stroke of the crosshead, by the discharge plunger. One press chamber is filled, the material is compressed in another press chamber, and a compressed lump is discharged from a third press chamber, at each operation of the ratchet toothed wheel, or other intermittent driving mechanism.

What I claim is:

It. In a press, a rotary press platen provided with press chambers, a stationary cover plate arranged above the platen, a guide for the material secured to the said plate, said. guide being open on one side and havingsubstantially horizontal tracks and a stop at its lower part, and a holder for the loose material adapted to slide on the said tracks and engage with the said step and close the open side of the guide when tilted upwardly so that the material is discharged down the guide into the press chambers.

2. In a press, a stationary cylinder, a press table supporting the cylinder and provided with a bearing on its lower side, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers, a shaft for revolving the press platen journaled in the said bearing, a ratchet toothed wheel secured on the shaft below its bearing, a support mounted loosely on the shaft, a collar secured on the said shaft under the said support, a pawl pivoted to the support and engaging with the said wheel, and means for oscillating the said support and pawl and thereby revolving the ratchet toothed wheel and press platen step by step.

3. In a press, a stationary cylinder, a press table supporting the cylinder and provided with an outlet, a rotary press plat-en resting on the press table and provided with press chambers which register with the said outlet, two slidable plungers for simultaneously pressing the material in one press chamber and discharging a pressed lump from the next adjacent chamber in advance of it, means for revolving the press platen step by step, and means for sliding the said plungers simultaneously and vertically in the press chambers while the press platen is stationary.

4;. In a press, a stationary cylinder, a press table supporting the cylinder, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers, a cylinder cover partially covering the press platen and provided with a hole for the press plunger which registers with the press chambers, slidable press plunger for pressing the material in the press chambers, and a safety flap pivoted to the cylinder cover and extending over a portion of the exposed part of the press platen before same passes under the press plunger.

5. In a press, a stationary cylinder, a press table supporting the cylinder, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers, a cylinder cover provided with a hole which registers with the press chambers, a press plunger working in the said hole and engaging wit-h the press chambers, a pivoted arm arranged above the cylinder cover, a slidable spring-pressed oil pan carried by the said arm and provided with a revoluble transfer roller for oiling the bottom of the plunger when the plunger is raised, and means for reciprocating the said arm.

6. In apress, a stationary cylinder, a press table supporting the cylinder, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers, a cylinder cover provided with a hole which registers with the press chambers, a press plunger working in the said hole and engaging with the press chambers, an arm pivoted to the cylinder cover at one end, a stationary guide track for the free end portion of the arm, a slidable spring-pressed oil pan carried by the said arm, an oiling roller which transfers oil from the oil pan to the bottom of the press plunger, a scraper carried by the said arm and adapted to scrape the bottom of the plunger before the oil is applied to it, and means for oscillating the said arm at intervals.

7. In a press, a stationary press table provided with a discharge opening, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers which register with the discharge opening, a discharge plunger engaging with the press chambers and discharge opening, and a reciprocating device arranged below the press chambers and provided with a slidable spring-pressed oil pan having a revoluble transfer roller for oiling the bottom of the discharge plunger when it projects below the press table.

8. In a press, a stationary press table provided with a discharge opening, a rotary press platen resting on the press table and provided with press chambers which register with the discharge opening, a discharge plunger engaging with the press chambers and discharge opening, a guide arranged horizontally below the press table, a frame working in the said guide, a slidable springpressed oil pan carried by the frame, an oiling roller which transfers oil from the oil panto thebottom of the discharge plunger,

ascraper carried by the said frame and adapted to scrape the-bottom of the plunger, and means for reciprocating the said frame at'int'ervals.

9. In a press,a press chamber, a plunger to the recesses, oiling. pads secured: in the recesses and provided with perforated facing platesof flexible material for bearing against the walls of the press chamber, and

meansfor supplying oil to the saidpassagesh 11. In a press, a stationary presstable, a

rotary press platen resting on the press table andprovided with press-chambers and having notches in its periphery, means for rotating the press platen step by step, a pivoted lever for engagingwiththe said notches, andmeans for pressing the said lever forciblyinto the: said notches to-hold the press chambers accurately in position when the press platenis stationary.

12. In a press, a stationary press table,a

rotary pressplaten resting onthe press table.

and provided with press chambers, stationary guides, uprights sliding in the said guides, a crossheadsecured between the upper parts of the'uprights,plungers secured to the crosshead and working in the press chambers, a cam shaft journaled under the press table and provided with means for re;-

volving it, cams-secured on the endportions of the cam shaft and sliding the said up-' rights at intervals in the said guides,- a cam secured on the cam shaft, and means for re volving the press platen step by step op-- adapted to oil the bottom of: the'plunger when it is raised out of the press chamber, a camshaft journaled below the press chamber and provided with means for revolving it, a cam secured on the cam shaft, a pivoted lever moved in one direction by the cam, a spring for moving the said lever inthe reverse direction, a pivoted bell-crank lever having a long arm which isarranged vertically, a connecting-rod between the said lever and, the short arm of the bell-crank lever, and a second connecting-rod between the upper part of the long arm of the bellecrank lever andthesaid pivoted arm.

a 14 In a press, a press chamber, a discharge plunger slidable inthe press chamber, a frame slidable horizontally below the press chamber, an oiling device carried by the said frame and adapted to oil'the bottom of the plunger when it projects through the press chamber, a cam shaft journaled below the press chamber and provided with means for revolving it,.a cam secured on the cam shaft, a pivoted bell-crank lever having. a short armwhich is moved in onedirection by the said cam,,a spring which moves the bell-crank lever in the reverse direction, and a connecting-rod between the long arm of the bell-crank lever and the said frame.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

- LAIVRENGE B. GRASBERGER; 

